Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1887-01-26
ROYAL HUNTING IN PERSIA.
The Shah After Big Games wild
Asses, Tigers and AntelOpes.

The Shah After Big Game. Such as wild
Asses, Tigers and AntelOpes.
From st. James Gazette.l
The Shah is mighty hunter, good shot
and an enthusiastic sportsman. Big game is
his delight. The king, like all the sportsmen
of his country, uses a smooth bore and bull
let. OF course, royal hunts are to a certain
extent battues.
A strange incident of eastern life, but a
true one, occurred some twelve years ago
at one of these royal huntings. As usual,
a couple of regiments accompanied the Shah
on his hunting party. The men acted as
beaters. A tiger was wounded, and was
making off under the kings eyes. The royal
second barrel was discharged, but did not
kill the wounded animal. Fearful of losing
his quarry, the king was reloading (muzzle
leaders are still preferred by Persians), when
a private soldier seized the tiger by the tail
and detained him long enough for the Shah
to dispatch the animal. His majesty made
that soldier q captain on the spot.
Wild asses-the favorite chase of the old
Persians, who shot them from the saddle
with arrows-are hunted with relays of dogs.
The only time to shoot them is when the
young are at the mothers neel So swift
and timid are they that it is impossible to get
any DuC ClanC0 S0OG at CQem unQeT any
other circumstances. The young asses are
often taken with greyhounds. the mothers
are shot from the saddle, and will often kill
antelope other game when going at full
speed. The secret OF shooting from the sad
die is that the marksman's horse should be
going ventre terre. The flesh of the young
ass is food for kings. Antelope, when
with young at their heel, are seldom secured
by single dog, but are easily run down by
relays Of gre hounds or shot from the saddle
by posted horsemen, the antelope being driv
en- toward them by greyhouuds.
Hawking is favorite pastime in Persia.
Every great parsonage has his falconer and
his falconry; every little squireen his par
fridge hawks and pair of greyhounds. A
Persian turns out at early dawn and lies in
ambush behind rock for partridges which
come to drink in the morning at Some spring.
At the right moment he fires both barrels
into them, and kills or wounds many; six
or eight brace is no uncommon bag for the
two shots of the shikari. He then runs up
and cuts their throats to make them lawful
Though many are already dead), and walks
home, having done good days work. For
six brace of birds he will get about two shil-
lings.
Water fowl ale got in the same unsports-
manlike manner. The villager, hidden be-
hind low wall built for the purpose, fires
into pack of them. Quail-which gives
splendid sport in the high wheat, literally
rising in hundreds-are usually netted, q
bamboo call being used to attract them This
call initiates accurately enough the challenge
of the male bird, and the cock quail, the
most pugnacious of birds, never refuses
challenge. The doraj is shot in the morn
ing, and as it only runs is any easy victim.
1t weighs often four pounds, is gray in color
and exquisite eating. It is, however, rarely
obtained, as it affects high and inaccessible
rocks.
Wild geese are shot either in the flock at
night OF in the daytime by stalking; for wild
geese, if they do not see the gun, may be ap-
preached with ease. The double snipe is
we'll known, though not often seen in Eu-
rope. It is about twice the size of our bird,
and makes most delicate dish. Woodcock
are numerous. Hares and antelope, par
tridges, quail and pigeons are hawked; while
the two former are also coursed, and SO is the
hubara (bustard). The sand grouse or bagh-
a-ghulla, which word fairly represents it's
cry is an easy prey. The flock of from six
to dozen birds is seen i'll the open plain.
The sportsman approaches very leisurely Gf
on horseback he may get to within thirty
yards); he then blazes into the middle of the
pack, while on the ground. with both bar
rels, and often makes good bag. Food is
what he wants, not sport.
| Mechanical SaIutations in Germany.
[From the San Francisco CflronicIel
| Nothing can possibly be more mechanical
| than the way the Germans in ordinary life
| make use of these expressions, especially do
mestics and employees of hotels and public
places of all kinds. Being in your chamber
in German house there is tapping at the
door loud enough to wake the seven sleepers.
You open it. 1t is only the chambermaid.
| She stands bolt upright and as rigid as
corpse Her face is the utter vacuity of ex-
preston. She says "Guten tag" or 'Guten
abend" in a sudden way that is not exactly
explosive. 1t gives you the impression that
she has dropped something very heavy and
you involuntarily recoil and look down to see
| what it is.
If you go to buy glass of soda water in
| the Unter den Linden the woman in the kiosk
fires off an unexpected "Guten tag" to you.
If you enter shop it is flung at you on all
| sides. So also when you go in or out of your
hotel, when you go to public institutions,
| such as baths, or when you go into the hotel
dining ROOM Everybody utters the seluta-
tion appropriate to the time of day, and, as
the employees are numerous, you are thunder
ed at in front and rear and either flank
till your entrance or exit seems like the ad-
vance or retrograde movement of the light
brigade. 1t is simply perfunctory. Nobody
smiles, no one moves the body or mods the
head as in France or in Italy. In Austria it
is even more SO. The salutations of employees
are more numerous and quite mechanical.
The Hungarians are somewhat more mobile,
but, except in the cities, are neither refined
nor polite.
ant TO he o116 or